


A Boring Love Story

by TheLazyBam



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26195332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLazyBam/pseuds/TheLazyBam
Summary: It was love at first awkward elevator conversation for Kara.“Uhmm. You’re the new tenant, right?”The woman smiled and nodded. She smelled like earl grey and jasmine.“I—I’m Kara. Danvers. 401.” She held out her hand which the other woman took. Her hand was soft and warm, much like how Kara’s stomach and cheeks were feeling at that moment.“Lena. Luthor. 406.”And then there was silence, filled only by the mechanical humming of the elevator slowly descending.The elevator door was about to open and Kara scrambled to say something—anything—just to keep the conversation going.“I like potstickers and pizza.” And you.orThe one where Kara's a coward and Lena is always late--sort of.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 49
Kudos: 488





	A Boring Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> Bam here.
> 
> So... I was trying to work on my other fic but I got "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" stuck in my head and there's no way I could properly write angst with that so this came out instead.  
> Special thanks to the always awesome Rebellion_Bear doing the Lord's work and polishing this up.  
> and to SaskiaKieranLuthor for waking up too early to read this and validating my feelings.
> 
> As always, comments and kudoughballs are greatly appreciated.
> 
> Please let me know what you think.
> 
> Enjoy?

“Someone please hit me in the head and tell me I’m dumb,” Kara pleads, her head resting on the table, looking gloomily at her now empty plate. They are at Noonan’s for lunch and Alex obliges.

“You’re dumb. Why this time?” Alex asks after tapping Kara’s head with a tablespoon.

Nia sniggers. “I know why.”

“No,” Kara straightens up and raises a finger at Nia. “No, Nia. You do not get to tell this story. Your stories always have side comments.”

Nia rolls her eyes. “I resent that statement.”

“ _Anyway,_ ” Kara starts, ignoring Nia. “There’s a new girl that moved in on my floor. She’s cute.”

Alex shakes her head. “Nuh uh. I don’t believe it.”

“What?” Kara asks, turning to Alex.

“Babe, why would Kara lie about a girl moving in on her floor?” Kelly interjects with a frown. Alex ignores Kara in favor of her partner.

“Oh. I believe that. I just don’t believe she’s cute.”

Nia laughs and Kelly raises a brow in question.

“Because Kara thinks those giant, human-sized bats hanging upside down are cute. You know that fish that has eerie human-like teeth? She thinks those are cute, too. So, if she thinks a girl is cute, I don’t believe it.” Alex shrugs before biting into her sandwich.

“To be fair to Kara, her taste in women is quite something… I mean, Lucy? Siobhan? Cat Grant?” Nia offers with a smirk.

“Hey! I’ve never dated any of them,” Kara waves her fork at Nia then turns to Brainy. “You’re quiet.”

“I have discovered that it is detrimental to our relationship to disagree with Nia on things such as what is cute and what is not. Therefore, I side with her. I also know that you have never dated any of them because—how did Nia put it—you’re a coward.”

Kara is about to protest when Nia straightens her back and smiles at her mate. “I am the aforementioned Nia Nal and I approve that statement.”

Kelly waves her hands and gestures at Kara. “Okay. Okay. So, tell us the story.”

_It was love at first awkward elevator conversation for Kara._

_(There is a collective groan at the lunch table, with Alex and Nia rolling their eyes, when Kara starts her story. Kara ignores this.)_

_“Uhmm. You’re the new tenant, right?”_

_The woman smiled and nodded. She smelled like earl grey and jasmine._

_“I—I’m Kara. Danvers. 401.” She held out her hand which the other woman took. Her hand was soft and warm, much like how Kara’s stomach and cheeks were feeling at that moment._

_“Lena. Luthor. 406.”_

_The pauses between were definitely exaggerated for Kara but She. Didn’t. Mind. The woman—Lena Luthor—was looking at her and it was all that mattered. That and that she knew the woman’s name._

_And then there was silence, filled only by the mechanical humming of the elevator slowly descending._

_The elevator door was about to open and Kara scrambled to say something—anything—just to keep the conversation going._

_“I like potstickers and pizza.” And you. But Kara wisely decided that really shouldn’t be added there seeing as she basically just word vomited all over Lena who was already walking away. To her credit, Lena did look back, nod once, and said “Good to know” before moving on._

_The elevator door closed on Kara before she panicked and pressed the button, but Lena was gone._

“Okay, well, that’s not so bad,” Kelly says. “It was awkward, yes. But you got her name. So, again, it’s not so bad.”

“Oh. It’s about to be,” Nia says, grinning. Kara again ignores this and continues with her story.

_She saw Lena again a few more times over the course of the next few weeks, mostly in the hallways and the elevator. Lena always looked like she was deep in thought, her emerald eyes distant, her red, red lips set in a firm line. But whenever Kara showed up, Lena would always flash her a warm smile._

_Eventually, Kara memorized Lena’s routine. Not that there was much to memorize. Lena always left at 7:45 AM and would go home at odd hours, sometimes as late as past 2 AM but never earlier than 9 PM. She was never home for the weekends and would always go out with an overnight bag on Saturday morning, coming home late Sunday evening._

_They never really talked except for the short exchanges of hi’s and hello’s and a few odd comments about the weather or sometimes Lena would compliment Kara on something: her cardigans, her shoes, her eyes. One time, Lena even said her glasses looked nice, but that she definitely looked better without them._

_So, Kara started wearing contact lenses._

_And after all that, all Kara learned from their brief exchanges was that Lena worked at a lab as a biomedical engineer, she loved the rain and that she was deathly allergic to peanuts._

_Last night, after going for a run, Kara dragged herself up the stairs and was surprised to see Lena just a few steps ahead of her. She had a perfectly fitted three-piece navy suit and towering pumps that made it suddenly difficult for Kara to breathe. Her hair was slicked back into the neatest, most precise ponytail Kara had ever seen. Everything about Lena was precise and clean and sharp and classy._

_“Lena? Why are you using the stairs? Is there something wrong with the elevator?”_

_Lena turned and smiled, allowing Kara to catch up to her. “Yes. Didn’t you see the sign?”_

_“Oh. I—uhhh. I must have missed it.” Kara could feel herself getting redder and redder with every word._

_Lena, in turn, nodded slowly._

_“So, why are you taking the stairs?”_

_“I just came back from a run and this is sort of like a cool down for me.”_

_“I see,” Lena said. It did not escape Kara the once over that Lena gives her. And now that Kara was dimly aware of herself and conscious of the woman beside her, she was sure she looked like a steaming pile of garbage with her jogging pants and sweaty, ratty P.E. shirt, and some of her hair sticking to her face, next to the masterpiece that was Lena._

_They were quiet for the rest of the way until Kara stopped at her apartment door._

_“Goodnight, Kara,” Lena said, stopping briefly before moving towards her apartment._

_“Uhmm. Good—actually—” Kara started and, thankfully, it caught Lena’s attention causing her to stop and look back. “I was wondering if you’re free tomorrow evening for dinner. I’m having a few friends over for Game Night. We—uhh—usually have them during Fridays and it’s my turn to host.”_

_Lena was quiet for a beat._

_“I—it could be your ‘Welcome to the Apartment’ party or something.” Kara looked at Lena who was taking her phone from her pocket. She sighed._

_“That’s really nice of you, Kara, but I’m afraid my boyfriend and I already have plans.”_

The collective groan on the table is so loud, Kara is aware of a few heads turning towards them.

She feels the weight of Alex’s hands patting her on the back.

“Good game, Kara. Good game,” Alex says. “Although I have to wonder what your plan was since we don’t actually have game nights and this is the first time I’m hearing of a supposedly dinner party tonight. Unless you have other friends…”

“Well, I was thinking I was going to call all of you and beg-slash-bribe-slash-blackmail you to come.” Kara hangs her head, visibly red now.

“I’m proud of you though, Kara. You took your shot. That’s definitely something to be proud of.” Kelly reaches out and rubs Kara’s arm.

“I agree,” Nia says, nodding. “I mean, you missed by a wide margin, but that’s definitely a step up from the last time when all you could do was stare at Cat Grant’s boobs and definitely not her eyes.”

Kara, looking indignant, is about to say something when Kelly cuts her off.

“As I said, I’m proud of you, Kara. Now that you got that out of your system, hopefully the next time won’t be so bad.”

Kara winces. “About that…actually—”

“Oh no. Oh no, no. I know that look, Kara Danvers. What did you do? Is it about to get much worse?” Alex’s eyes are wide and Kara cannot look at them so she looks down.

“Well, this morning…”

_“Hello, neighbor,” Kara greeted as she exited her apartment. She might have been standing behind her door, waiting for the already familiar scent of earl grey and jasmine to come close before opening it and leaving for work. Luckily for her, Lena went to work early._

_“Good morning, Kara.” Lena flashed her a brief smile but she looked like a million miles away._

_“I—is everything okay?” Kara asked._

_“Yes. Everything’s fine. I just have a lot of things on my mind,” Lena answered._

_They entered the elevator and Kara could sense the anxiety coming off the other woman in waves._

_“Are you sure you’re okay? Do you wanna talk about it?”_

_That seemed to snap Lena out of her thoughts and she smiled at Kara again._

_“It’s a little bit complicated but I really appreciate your concern,” Lena answered._

_“Right.” Kara nodded and the elevator doors opened. Without thinking, she grabbed one of her calling cards from her bag. “Listen, if you need to talk, or text, or just rant to a friend, my number’s on there and you know where I live.” She took Lena’s hand and placed her calling card in it._

_“You work for CatCo?” Lena asked, reading the card._

_“Yeah. I’m a junior reporter. But that’s not really why I’m giving you the card. You just look like you could use a friend,” Kara said and then, after Lena does not say or do anything for a moment, she added, “Or that’s just me being an asshole and assuming things in which case just throw it away or do whatever you want with it.”_

_To her relief, Lena pocketed the card._

_“Well, it’s always nice chatting with you, Kara. But I have a full plate today and I better get going,” Lena said after adjusting her bag. She was wearing a white button down and black, fitted pants. Normally, it would make people look like a waiter at a fancy restaurant but it made Lena look even more expensive._

_“Oh. Yeah, sure. I’ll be on my way too.” Kara nodded as they step out of the apartment building._

_“See you around, Kara.” Lena waved before ducking into her Uber._

_The morning passed like most mornings. She got yelled at by Snapper. She spilled a bit of coffee on her cardigan. She got hit on by Mike the Intern. She sat through a meeting and barely absorbed any of it._

_The usual._

_What was different was the phone call she received just as she reached Noonan’s. After which she dropped her head on the table and begged someone to hit her in the head which Alex obliged to._

”And now, we’re all caught up,” Kara says, pulling on her sleeves.

“Wait, that’s it? What was the phone call about?” Nia asks.

Kara takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

“LenacalledandaskedifshecouldstillcometothetotallyhappeningdinnerslashgamenighttonightandIsaidyesofcourseshecouldtotallycomeandnowyouareallrequiredtoattendbecauseyoulovemeandwouldneverwanttoembarassme.”

There is a beat of silence, long enough for Kara to open her eyes and see the uniform look of disbelief in her friends’ faces. The beat passes and—

“WHAT?!” They say in unison, loud enough for a waiter to approach them and ask them to keep it down. After a few scattered apologies, Alex repeats herself in a harsh whisper. “What?!”

“But you were in full support a few minutes ago,” Kara says, pouting.

“Oh no. No, you do not get to pout. Yes, we support you asking a girl you like out, but not when the girl is already in a relationship,” Alex sighs.

Kara is already folding in on herself. “But what if I just want to be her friend?”

“Check yourself right now, Kara,” Kelly asks. “Are you really pushing for this dinner because you want to be friends?”

Kara sighs. “Being just friends is better than what we’re doing. Three-minute conversations in hallways isn’t fun. We’ve known each other for weeks and she just found out where I worked this morning.”

“Well, Nia and I have no plans this evening,” Brainy says with a shrug and looks at Nia for confirmation.

Nia nods, already a wicked grin forming on her face. “I’m coming simply for the pleasure of seeing Kara embarrass herself in front of this girl.”

“Well?” Kelly asks Alex who groans and rolls her eyes at Kelly.

“Fine. This seems much promising than what I have planned anyway.”

“Which was?” Kelly raises a delicate brow.

“Watch ‘Goonies’?” Alex answers with a sheepish smile.

“That’s not so bad,” Kelly answers with a thoughtful nod. “But how about this? We go to Kara’s dinner. Meet this mysterious woman she’s infatuated with. You kick Kara’s ass in Monopoly and I’ll have a special surprise for you when we get home?”

Alex’s smile widens while Kara retches.

“I don’t want to hear about your sex life.”

Nia smirks. “You’re just jealous cause some of us have one and your only chance just blew up on your face.”

The group soon breaks up with Kara and Nia heading back to CatCo, and Alex and Brainy to the FBI after dropping Kelly at her private practice.

Kara spends the rest of the day preparing for their dinner. She orders way too many potstickers, pizza and some salad for Kelly. At Nia’s insistence, she also orders lasagna. Alex is in charge of the booze and Nia and Brainy are in charge of games. Kelly, as always, is the group’s official peacekeeper.

She tries to call Lena to tell her that their dinner will be at 8 PM but she can come later, if her schedule doesn’t allow her. She doesn’t say that she knows Lena never comes home earlier than 9 PM. Lena doesn’t answer her call so she leaves her a text instead.

Eight PM and no Lena but since Kara has left her a message, they begin eating dinner anyways. The hours pass and still no Lena. They play a round of Monopoly and Kara tries calling her but she doesn’t pick up. Kara tries to put on a brave face, tries to act as if Lena standing her up isn’t affecting her but her friends and her sister know her too well so they don’t point it out.

They try to act like it is a normal Game Night, except they’ve never actually had a game night.

Eventually though, the party must end.

“Listen, all things considered, this was still a fun night. We should really do this more often,” Alex says and everyone nods in agreement.

“So, here’s to Kara and to more Game Nights,” Nia raises her wine glass and everyone follows suit.

Kara smiles and raises her glass, her heart breaking but still grateful for her friends.

Kara is just about to enter her apartment after throwing her trash when she hears the elevator ding. She glances at her wristwatch. 3 AM.

“Kara?” Lena frowns. She exits the elevator and Kara notes her slumped shoulder and the general weariness in her demeanor “What are you doing up at this hour?”

Kara sighs and turns to Lena. “I just finished cleaning up after my friends left—”

“Oh god,” Lena groans, cutting Kara off. “Dinner. I totally forgot.”

“It’s okay, Lena,” Kara says, reaching out to Lena.

“No. No, it’s not.” Lena shakes her head and Kara could see her tears welling up. “This is just so typical of me.”

“Well, I still have a few slices of pizza and some potstickers left, if you’re up for some very late dinner?”

Kara can feel the weight of Lena’s eyes on her.

“Are you sure? It’s already late, Kara.”

“I don’t have any plans for Saturday anyway.”

Lena nods and Kara holds her door open for Lena who looks uncertain for one second before she enters Kara’s apartment. Kara watches as she looks around, taking everything in. There’s something about the way Lena observes things, as if every detail is parsed and stored somewhere in her head.

“Nice place,” Lena remarks with a tired smile.

“Thanks. I wish I could take all the credit, but my friends helped me a lot in designing this place.” Kara is in the kitchen, gathering up the leftovers and preheating her oven. “Beer? Wine? Something harder?”

“Something harder. Scotch, preferably, if you have it.” She flashes Kara a wry smile as she leans over the kitchen counter, her eyes never leaving Kara.

“My sister is going to love you.” Kara hands over a bottle and a scotch glass and leaves Lena to pour for herself. She notices Lena pour a tall one and finish it in one swallow before pouring herself another shot that’s just as tall. She decides not to pry.

“So, 3 AM… must have been one hell of a date,” Kara says. Well she decided not to pry on the tall shot, but she might as well ask about the date with the boyfriend since it’s all Kara knows about her.

Lena scoffs. “Yeah, spreadsheets and data are always so sexy.”

Kara frowns as she places the pizza and some lasagna inside the oven. “I thought you had plans.”

Lena is quiet for a beat. She looks at Kara almost as if she’s searching for something before she sighs and looks down at her glass. “I’m not good at relationships, Kara.”

Kara doesn’t respond. She looks at Lena and for the first time, she seems much smaller, frail, and vulnerable.

“I’m good with data and numbers. I can run a lab with multiple experiments, all with variable testing times. I run a tight ship at work, but my personal life leaves a lot to be desired.”

Kara grabs a chair and sits in front of Lena and still says nothing. It doesn’t matter because Lena, who is still looking at her drink, looks so deep in thought.

“When I told you my boyfriend and I had plans on Friday, I genuinely thought we did. But then he calls me an hour later and asks me where I was. So I told him I just got home, just having dinner…. Apparently, I have once again forgotten that the date was Thursday and not Friday. It was the last straw for him, I guess. He broke up with me.”

Lena’s voice is flat and matter-of-factly.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Lena.” Kara offers her hand which Lena takes. She notes the slight tremble on it.

“At first, I thought he understood. He has his own company, after all, so he knows how busy it could get. He would send his car to fetch me on our dates because I already told him I’m not good with those things. Sometimes he would personally come and pick me up. Eventually though, he just got tired of it, I guess. We’ve been drifting apart for months now. And I guess Thursday was supposed to be my last chance. And maybe I didn’t love him enough to care to change.”

Lena takes her hand back and downs her drink. She winces, exhales slowly and then looks at Kara with a warm smile.

Kara hears her oven ping and she dons her mittens, serves the leftovers on a plate, and slides it over to Lena who murmurs a soft “Thanks”.

“So, has this always been a problem? You working too much and sacrificing your personal life?”

Lena nods but doesn’t say anything. Kara watches as she takes small bites of the pizza and pours herself another tall shot. There is silence between them with Kara watching and Lena eating and drinking.

“I don’t mean to do it, you know?” Lena says all of a sudden. “I don’t mean to throw away my relationships in favor of work. I try to keep up as much as I can but I get so focused. Once, I even tried to hire a secretary. But our company is small and we can’t afford one right now.”

She finishes her drink. “But enough about me. Tell me a story.”

Kara laughs. “Sure, but only if you promise to slow down on the scotch.”

Lena pours a tall shot, caps the bottle and slides it over to Kara.

Kara sighs and takes the bottle away. “Well, my story isn’t actually better than yours. At least you’re brave enough to go for people you like. My story is basically me always falling for the worst person to fall in love with. Sometimes they’re taken. Sometimes they’re my boss. But more often than not, they’re straight.”

Lena hisses. “Oof. That’s rough.”

Despite herself, Kara couldn’t help the yawn that escapes her.

“Oh god, I’m doing it again,” Lena says. “I’m sorry I’m keeping you up.” She stands and takes her plate but Kara grabs it.

“Don’t be. I don’t mind. But it is almost four in the morning and I think we both need the rest,” Kara says, glancing at the wall clock.

Lena nods and gathers her things. Kara walks ahead of her to open the door but Lena stops just outside. “Listen… I feel really bad for standing you up. So, I’d like to make it up to you.”

Kara dismisses her with a wave but Lena looks at her with steely eyes. “Tomorrow, dinner, my place…Well, not tomorrow, I guess, but tonight. Saturday evening.”

Kara smiles. “And if you forget?”

Lena rolls her eyes in mock disdain. “I won’t.”

“I believe you.” Kara shrugs but smiles wider. “I’ll see you tonight, 406.”

Lena smiles her warm smile. “Come with an appetite, 401”

She watches Lena walk away and disappear behind her apartment door.

Kara spends her Saturday morning freaking out.

She thinks about calling her friends for help but decided against it. Instead, she tries to do her usual Saturday chores to keep her mind off things. Eventually, evening comes, and she decides to go for button down and jeans, brown belt, chucks, and contact lenses. She also brings some wine.

At 7PM, she knocks at 406.

On the other side of the door, she hears muffled cursing, some stomping about and then Lena opens the door and Kara’s throat is suddenly very dry.

“Hi.” She hears the squeakiness in her voice. Clearing her throat, she tries again. “Hi.”

Lena, in a lowcut jumper, jeans, and fluffy socks, has her hair down and her square glasses perched precariously on her nose. She has very little make up and looks soft, a contrast to her usual sharp office attire. And somehow, she’s even more beautiful.

“Hello. I didn’t forget,” she says, grinning proudly at Kara and gesturing for her to come in.

Kara looks around the open-plan loft. It is sparsely decorated but she could see Lena’s unopened moving boxes stacked neatly in a corner. It seems that Lena has only ever had the time to unbox her essentials. The whole apartment is a mix of desaturated oranges, browns, and whites, brought to life by some leafy friends and succulents and an unspeakable number of lamps.

“Thanks for having me,” Kara says, standing around and not really knowing where to go. She is saved from asking when Lena tells her to just head on to the sofa while she finishes preparing dinner.

Kara notices the piles of folders on the coffee table, some open with graphs and numbers. On one side of the apartment is a huge whiteboard with formulas and models and numbers that Kara wouldn’t even dare decipher.

“So, busy Saturday?” Kara asks.

“A little bit. I’m still trying to figure out this formula I’ve been working on over the last few weeks. I’m sure I’m almost there and it’s just a few more tweaks and all that. But I don’t really want to bore you with the details,” Lena answers.

Kara nods and sees the overnight bags in a corner.

“I see. So, I guess now that you and the boyfriend have broken up, you don’t have to spend your weekends with him anymore, right?” she asks.

Lena furrows her brows and tilts her head. “I don’t spend my weekends with him.”

“Oh. Cause I’ve seen you leave early Saturday mornings with an overnight bag.”

Lena scoffs. “That’s for the office,” she says as she rubs the back of her neck. “I literally have no life that I spend my weekends overnight in the lab.”

“Lena!” Kara exclaims, wide-eyed.

Lena shrugs. “Actually, I think I prefer it that way. As I said, I’m good with work. And, right now, it’s the only part of my life where I haven’t disappointed anyone.”

There are about a million words Kara wants to say, most of them comforting, some of them raging at whoever or whatever it is that Lena thinks she has disappointed, but she bites her lip and stays quiet.

“I’ve made it awkward, haven’t I?” Lena asks after a beat.

“No, not really. I’m just not sure if I should say what I want to say. We barely know each other and I don’t want to be inappropriate.”

Lena shakes her head. “Is it going to be so weird if I tell you that you are the closest I have to a friend right now? Those really short conversations we have in the hallways or the elevator? That’s about the only non-work, non-boyfriend, interaction I have since moving to National City.”

Kara studies Lena but says nothing. Instead, she smiles, stands and walks towards Lena who is pulling plates and glasses from cupboards.

“Let me help you with that,” she offers. And when Lena hands her the plates and the cutlery, Kara says, “So does this mean I’m your best friend?”

“I suppose you can say that,” Lena nods, following Kara to the dinner table with a bowl of salad, topped with some garlic bread in one hand and a bottle of wine on the other.

“Good to know,” Kara says with a wide smile.

She goes back to the kitchen island and picks up the wine glasses. Lena follows close behind her and pulls out the baked ziti from the oven and places it on the table.

Kara stands and gapes at the feast before her while Lena pulls out a dinner chair for her.

“Thanks,” Kara murmurs before sitting down. “Wow, Lena. Did you make all of this?”

Lena nods with a proud grin. “Everything is made from scratch. It tastes better than store bought, although it is rather time consuming.”

“Lena, you didn’t have to. You just said you’re busy.”

“Well, I wanted to impress my best friend,” Lena says as she takes Kara’s plate and serves her some pasta.

“Consider me beyond impressed.” Kara takes a forkful of the pasta.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Lena says softly, watching Kara.

Kara grins at her for a moment then blows on the pasta before taking her first bite.

“Oh. My. God. Lena. This is amazing! I’m never ordering baked ziti in a restaurant again, unless you made it. Oh lord. It’s so creamy and so cheesy and so goddamn delicious. God, Lena. If you weren’t straight, I’d ask you to marry me. Jesus this is so good!” Kara says, not bothering to blow on her food anymore as she shovels it in.

Lena laughs. “So, just to be clear, does this mean you like it?”

Kara looks at her, mouth full of pasta and bread. “Like it? No, Lena. I love it!”

“Good,” Lena nods as she places a serving on her own plate. “Also, I’m not straight.”

Kara manages not to choke on her food. She also manages to not die with embarrassment.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume—”

“It’s okay,” Lena says shrugging.

The evening rolls pleasantly on with Kara and Lena exchanging stories.

Kara learns that Lena’s family used to have a small but thriving tech company in Metropolis that her older brother mismanaged and eventually, it had to close.

“I was in college and suddenly we didn’t have money anymore so I had to work two jobs just to survive. After college, it was a bit difficult to find a company who would hire me. Apparently, my brother made a lot of enemies. When I did finally land a job, I kept getting passed over for promotion. It felt like a dead end. Luckily, my thesis advisor has a friend here in National City and she recommended me and so here I am, running my own lab.”

“All things considered, I think you’re doing a great job,” Kara says. The pasta is cold now, the salad bowl is empty and all the garlic bread has been consumed and they’re just slowly drinking away their second bottle of wine.

Lena looks down and smiles. “Thanks. That’s really kind.”

She raises her head to drink some wine then looks at Kara. “But enough about me. We should talk about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

Lena hums. “You mentioned you’re always falling in love with the wrong person.”

Kara groans. “Oh no…”

“No, no, give me a chance here. Come on,” Lena says.

“Fine, go ask your question.”

“So, who was the worst? You don’t need to say her name, but just maybe describe her.”

Kara sighs. “I mean, it’s not like you know her, unless you attended NCU. So, might as well give her a name.” Kara pauses to take a drink. “Promise me you’re not going to laugh.”

Lena perks up. “That bad?”

“Terrible,” Kara nods. “Anyway, so her name is Miriam, it was our first year in college and we had several classes together. We lived in the same dorm and she was really cute.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad, so far.”

“Oh I’m getting there,” Kara says, taking another sip of her wine. Lena refills Kara’s glass and she murmurs her thanks. “So, we spend a lot of time together and one day, I realize I’m falling for her. It wasn’t that hard. As I said, she’s cute. Plus she’s also the nicest person ever. Except she’s also the straightest.”

“Hmmm, I don’t know. You thought I was straight,” Lena says.

“Fair enough. But are you also an active member of the worship team in your church? Do you have a boyfriend who also has plans of becoming a pastor? And do you also teach in kid’s church?” Kara almost winces when Lena groans.

“Oh, Kara…”

“It gets worse.”

Lena opens her mouth as if to say something but immediately closes it and gestures for Kara to continue.

“I wasn’t really out back then. My family knew but that was it. So, one day, she invited me to church, and I went with her. No big deal, right? It was the second semester and I had only one class with her. So to spend more time with her, I sort of got roped into joining their worship team…”

“No! Kara!”

Kara smiles sheepishly at Lena who is gaping at her.

“She got married when we were in our second year of college. Guess who was one of the bridesmaids?” Kara points at herself with her thumbs.

Lena is positively red and weeping with the effort it takes not to laugh.

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed that story.”

Lena wipes her tears with her knuckles. “No, wait. That can’t be the end of the story. How did it end?”

“I mean, we sort of just drifted apart,” Kara shrugs. “She was busy with school and church and her new husband. And well, I was busy with school and trying to get over her. I know it’s not the most satisfactory ending, but that was how it ended.”

Lena takes a sip. “That’s better than a whole angsty, dramatic falling apart, I guess. Sometimes the boring endings are the best and most practical.”

Kara nods. “I agree. I mean, no shade to Romeo and Juliet or Count Vronsky and Anna, but like… I just want a boring old romance story for me, you know?”

“Someone to grow old with, maybe take a few vacations, but mostly spend lazy Sundays at home, in the garden or on the porch, reading a book or doing mind-numbing chores,” Lena says.

“Right,” Kara nods. “We meet. We fall in love. We get married. We have kids, maybe a dog or two—”

“And a cat. I want a cat,” Lena interjects.

“And a cat,” Kara adds, nodding. “Then we kick the kids out of the house when they’re old enough. The kids get married. We become the cool grandparents. Then we die.”

“Just a plain, old, boring love story,” Lena agrees. She inhales sharply. “Except, I’m never going to have that because I’m just not good with commitments and relationships.”

“I dunno about that,” Kara shrugs. “You managed to invest time to prepare a feast for your best friend. That takes commitment.”

“Only because I stood her up and I still feel really guilty about it.” Lena looks at Kara with a sullen smile.

“Well, the fact that I’m so full that I can barely breathe now more than makes up for it.”

“I don’t suppose you’ll have another one of those game nights soon?”

“Sure, I’ll let you know as soon as we’ve scheduled another one—”

\--is what Kara should have said.

Instead, she says “Actually, we’re having another one next Friday. My place again.”

Whenever Kara looks back at this moment, she always thinks that the smile Lena flashes her more than makes up for the grief her friends give her for the rest of the week when she tells them their impromptu Friday plans.

“Are you serious?!” Alex says, louder than she probably thought she was going to say.

Kara can hear Kelly in the background telling her to tone it down while Nia is grinning like a coyote that just found its next meal. Kara can see Brainy walking around behind Nia.

They are in a video chat the next day with Kara updating them on the _“Neighbor Situation”_.

“I don’t know, Alex. I mean, at least we now have a confirmation that ‘cute neighbor’ is not straight and is very much available, so that bodes well for our intrepid lesbian,” Nia says. She looks at Brainy, somewhere off screen. “Do we have anything scheduled next Friday?”

Kara can hear Brainy say something indiscernible in the background.

“Brainy says we’re good.” Nia updates.

Alex groans. “I don’t care if she’s as gay as Kara is. Kara’s falling for another emotionally unavailable person. Why can’t you just find someone unproblematic, Kar?”

“It’s not like I can control it. Just cause you guys have found ‘The One’…” Kara starts but is cut off by Brainy.

“I’d like to say that I did not find ‘The One’. She crashed into my shopping cart and spilled all my groceries because she was too busy looking at her phone, trying to find a date for Kara,” Brainy, who is now seated beside Nia, says.

“I didn’t find Alex either,” Kelly jumps in, scooting beside Alex on their couch. “Nor did she find me. Remember, we met when Kara was interviewing me for a piece she was doing. Alex here crashes in on the interview because Kara kept butt-dialling her.”

Kara groans. “Great. I managed to find ‘The One’ for you guys and here I am pining for someone who, by the looks of it, just might actually be the worst person for me,” Kara says with an eye-roll.

The rest of the week floats on by like all the other weeks, except Kara thinks that the three-minute conversations Kara and Lena have every morning on their way to work is beginning to look like a standing date.

They’d meet by the elevator at 7:45 AM, exchange pleasantries and make really small talk and by 7:48 they’d be on separate cabs or Ubers. And as much as Kara wants to prolong these discussions, she understands that Lena is a busy person and is almost always in a hurry. She’s just grateful that Lena takes the three minutes she has every morning to talk to Kara.

Friday morning comes and Kara reminds Lena about their evening plans. Lena blinks as if she’s trying to remember and she smiles.

“I’ll be there, 8 PM, right?”

“Right. I’m having Chinese food delivered, but I made sure there are no peanuts anywhere near it.”

“Thanks for not attempting to murder me.”

Kara shrugs. “You’re welcome.”

And so 9 PM arrives, and still no Lena.

Once again grateful to her friends, they proceed with an actual Game night, and Alex is starting to kick everyone’s ass in Monopoly again. By 10 PM, Kara finds herself actually enjoying the evening, no matter how disappointed she is.

She reasons that Lena did, in fact, warn her of how she’s incapable of remembering commitments and relationships when she’s at work. Does it make it less painful? No. But it does help that she knows what to expect.

Alex has just started with her first hotel when a frantic knock disrupts her smug celebration.

Kara runs to the door and opens it to find a disheveled, slightly damp Lena, bent over and clutching at her chest.

“Lena! What happened to you?”

“I—I remembered, Kara. I didn’t forget. I was—” she heaves a breath, “—I was out of the office by 7:50 but then there were no taxis. And then I finally got one but the traffic was so bad. There was an accident and—”

Kara waves her off and gestures for her to come in.

“No, no… I need to explain,” Lena insists, still breathing erratically. “So then I tried to call you but my phone is dead. I tried to get on a bus but I completely missed my stop and I had to run all the way here and then it started raining.” Lena takes another steadying breath, this time she’s able to stand straighter.

“And then I finally got downstairs but the elevator is out again and I had to run up four flights of stairs and I’m so sorry I’m late but I remembered, Kara. I remembered!”

And Lena does something that sets Kara’s entire body on fire.

She throws her hand around Kara’s neck and pulls her in a hug so tight, Kara can feel Lena’s hammering heart through layers of silk and cotton and polyester.

“I remembered…” Lena says so softly and the way it courses through Kara’s veins—

Alex clears her throat which pulls Lena and Kara apart.

“Right. So. Uhmmm. Introductions,” Kara starts, aware that her face is possibly as red as a ripe tomato. Lena, on the other hand looks just so incredibly happy. “Lena Luthor, from left to right that’s Alex, my sister, Kelly, Alex’s partner, Nia, friend and co-worker and her boyfriend Brainy. Alex and Brainy work for the FBI, Kelly is a licensed psychiatrist, and Nia is Nia.” Kara gestures to each one.

“Everyone, this is Lena.”

Everyone says their hi’s and hello’s while Kara and Lena stand awkwardly near the door.

“Kara?” Nia asks.

“Huh?”

“Your guest?”

Kara blinks for a second as if confused. “Oh, right.” She turns to Lena.

“I’ll get you some clothes and reheat the food while you change,” Kara says.

“No need. I can just go to my apartment and change there. I just… I didn’t want you think that I forgot. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”

Kara nods and watches as Lena exits, only now seeing that Lena is barefoot, one of the heels on her shoe dangling for dear life.

She closes the door and grins sheepishly at her friends.

“So, that was Lena,” she says as she starts pulling out plates to reheat the food.

“Kara, she’s not cute,” Alex says with a raised brow.

Nia nods solemnly. “I agree. She’s nowhere near the realm of cute. She’s hot though.”

Alex laughs. “Yeah, I was gonna say!”

Kara rubs the back of her neck.

“Is everything just cute to you?” Kelly asks Kara who is still very much red.

“Probably,” Alex answers, cutting Kara off. “She doesn’t know the difference between a baby seal and Cate Blanchett.”

Kara furrows her brows and shrugs. “What? They’re both cute!”

“The prosecution rests its case, your honor,” Nia says with an exaggerated bow to Kelly.

“Well, at least now we know this girl actually exists and is not just Kara’s excuse for binging on Fridays,” Alex says with a shrug.

“Whatever. You guys are mean.”

“I’m not,” Brainy says.

The rest of the girls laugh, including Kara.

“I’m not!” Brainy insists.

“You’re right, Brainy. You’re not,” Kelly says, patting him on the shoulder.

True to her promise, Lena comes back ten minutes later with her hair up in a lose ponytail, face scrubbed of make-up and wearing a black jumper, yoga pants and her square glasses.

“Feeling better?” Kara asks.

“Much, yes. Thank you,” Lena answers as she enters Kara’s apartment.

“So, we’re halfway through Monopoly. Grab your plate and watch Alex destroy us.”

Except, with Lena by her side, giving her tips and playing the odds game perfectly, Kara manages to turn the tide and eliminate everyone, emerging as the winner. So Alex proposes to start a new game but with Lena playing and not allowed to teach Kara.

Lena shakes her head. “Oh no, please. I mean, it’s my first time here… I wouldn’t want to make an already bad impression worse by decimating all of you in Monopoly.”

Nia barks out a laugh. “Cocky. I like you, Lena Luthor. You and I are best friends now.”

Kara is about to protest when Lena says “Sorry, but Kara’s already taken the best friend role.”

Nia shakes her head. “No, I will not accept that. Kara can be your wife. I’ll be the best friend. I already have—”

Kara’s eyes widen. “Nia!”

“What?” Nia taunts with a shrug.

But Lena laughs. “I can’t be Kara’s wife. She said she always manages to fall in love with the absolute worst person to fall in love with.”

Alex nods. “That is, unfortunately, true.”

“Yes, so if she marries me then that means I’m the absolute worst person for her. And I don’t want to be that,” Lena says, looking at Kara.

Something about the way Lena is looking at her sets the butterflies in her stomach flying. She’s spared from saying anything though when Brainy interjects.

“There is still a way that Kara can be your wife without you being the absolute worst person for her.”

Lena tilts her head. “I agree, but that would entail Kara marrying me without falling in love with me, which is hardly an ideal situation.”

“Hold on! Why are we talking about Lena marrying me?” Kara asks, brows furrowed and looking at everyone except Lena.

“Because I want to be Lena’s best friend,” Nia answers as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

“Hey guys, ease off Kara,” Kelly says, smiling warmly at Kara.

“Thanks, Kelly,” Kara says, smiling back.

“It’s not every day she finds out she’s marrying Nia’s best friend.”

The night goes on and Lena easily wins two more rounds of Monopoly.

Over the next few months, Lena starts joining them for lunch at Noonan’s. She still bursts in, always in a hurry or a few minutes late, but she’s never missed a single group lunch, or Friday’s Game Night. And when there’s no group lunch, she joins Kara for lunch.

Their morning conversations are also longer now since they discovered that CatCo is on the way to Lena’s lab. They go from sharing a cab every morning to Kara always having breakfast at Lena’s before they leave for work.

This then evolves to them having dinner at Kara’s, forcing Lena to come home earlier than her usual 9 PM. If it affects Lena’s work, she doesn’t say. If anything, Lena looks just a bit happier than when she first moved to National City.

It doesn’t help the fact that Kara is falling even more in love with Lena everyday.

“I just realized that we are now spending all of our mealtimes together,” Lena mentions one Sunday afternoon when Kara finally convinced Lena to open the rest of her boxes. She is washing the dirty dishes while Kara is arranging Lena’s books on the newly installed bookshelf that also serves as a divider between Lena’s living area and her bed.

Kara stops and stares at Lena, her heart hammering. “I—is that a bad thing?”

Lena hums. “I don’t think so. But people in the office think you’re my girlfriend now or something.”

Kara drops a book. “B-because we always go out for lunch?” she asks as she gingerly picks the book up and places it on the bookcase.

“I guess. And also, I guess because people see how much I panic when my alarm goes off.”

“Does it make you uncomfortable? People thinking you’re my girlfriend… or something?” Kara asks, slowly, as if she’s walking on glass and every word is producing web-like cracks.

“I don’t really care what people think. I care what you think though.”

Kara hums. “I don’t mind it.”

She holds her breath, her heart thundering, waiting for the eternity-like pause to end so Lena can respond. She grips the book she’s about to place in the bookcase tightly.

“Well, that settles that then. You’re my girlfriend now,” Lena says so casually, Kara almost misses it. “I guess we should tell Nia she can be my best friend now.”

Kara turns her whole body towards Lena, still gripping the book tightly, pouting. “No. I promise to be a good girlfriend and best friend at the same time.”

Kara hears Lena close a cabinet somewhere in her kitchen. “That’s endearingly possessive of you.”

“That’s good, right? I mean, I don’t want to be overbearing or anything, we just became girlfriends, after all.”

“I said ‘endearing’, didn’t I?”

“Right…”

“Kara?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s a good thing.”

Kara exhales a nervous laugh. “Good to know.”

They spend that evening on Kara’s couch, each with their own laptop, Kara watching something on Hulu and Lena working. It would be described as a chill sort of evening but with Lena leaning on Kara while she frowns and bites her lip, brows knitted in concentration, Kara can hardly stop herself from falling even more hopelessly in love.

The problem, as Kara sees it, is that by all intents and purposes, Lena really is acting like a girlfriend, and a really good one at that. She still narrowly misses lunch and dinner dates regardless if it’s just with Kara or if it’s a group date, but she’s always there, a little haggard and worse for wear but two shots of scotch and she’s good as new.

And their former hug greetings have now evolved to Lena kissing her on the cheeks every time they get together which, as has been established, is nearly everyday and nearly every mealtime. Lena has also started to call her ‘darling’, started to offer her arm to Kara or take Kara’s arm when they walk together, depending on the situation. And when they go out with friends, Lena always sits beside Kara.

Nia tests this observation one lunch when she asks Kara to sit between her and Brainy. Lena arrives, breathless as usual and raises her brow at Nia.

“Uhm, Nia, that’s my seat.” Lena says.

“No, it isn’t,” Nia responds with a confused look.

“Yes, it is. That’s my place,” Lena insists, folding her hands in front of her chest.

“How do you know?”

“It’s beside Kara.”

“Your place is beside Kara?”

“Yes.”

Nia scoffs. “Well, I want to be beside Kara.”

Lena rolls her eyes and turn to Brainy. “Well then, Brainy, you move.”

Brainy looks confused for a moment. “But I am told my place is also beside Kar—”

Kara groans. “I’ll move.”

“Noooo Karaaaa. Don’t leave me,” Nia protests with a dramatic swoon, flopping lamely at the now empty space beside her.

“Hello, darling,” Lena whispers softly as she turns to kiss Kara on the cheeks when Kara passes by her to take the next available seat. Kara’s heart flips happily. “Hi,” she whispers back.

“Okay, what’s going on with you two?” Nia asks with narrowed eyes.

Lena cocks her head at the question. “Well, we just had a major breakthrough at the lab so it’s a bit hectic right now. But if this pushes through, we could get more funding which means we can expand and I can finally have that machine I’ve been requesting—why are you all looking at me like that?”

Alex and Nia are now giggling uncontrollably with Kelly barely able to suppress her laugh and Brainy looking about as confused as Lena. Lena turns to Kara.

“I think what Nia wants to know is what’s going on between us,” Kara says tentatively. “But, I think I’d rather hear about this breakthrough at your lab.”

“Do I get a vote? Because I want to hear about Lena’s breakthrough too,” Brainy says in earnest, raising his hand.

“I still don’t understand the original question though,” Lena insists.

“Forget it,” Kara says, smiling at Lena at first then turning to Nia and Alex with daggers in her eyes. “Nia and Alex are just being mean, as usual.”

“Is there something wrong, Kara?” Lena asks, her tone now changing to concern.

“Everything’s fine,” Kara says with the warmest smile she can muster, reaching for Lena’s hand and squeezing it gently.

Lena looks unconvinced but nods anyway.

“But seriously, Lena,” Brainy says, tearing Lena’s eyes away from Kara. “I want to know more about that breakthrough.”

They spend the rest of lunch with Kara, Alex, Kelly and Nia pretending to understand the volley of ideas between Brainy and Lena.

But if Kara thought Lena was going to let go of the discussion at lunch, she is sorely mistaken as Lena brings it up that evening over dinner.

The two of them are at Lena’s, with Kara on the floor and Lena on the couch. They are both still working, takeout boxes scattered on the coffee table. For a long while, all that can be heard in Lena’s apartment are the tapping of keys and the occasional slurping or chewing, depending on which takeout box they randomly reached out for. They don’t talk, nor do they even taste the food, both of them focused on their work.

That is, until Lena asks, “Kara, what did they really mean at lunch?”

Kara inhales sharply and slowly turns to Lena, her heart pausing before it starts hammering away. For a moment, Kara deliberates on how she’s going to handle it but decides it’s about time anyway. She knows it’s going to be awkward but they might as well talk about it like adults.

“Well, they’ve noticed that we’ve gotten closer. So, I think they’re starting to wonder if, uhmm, we’re in a r—relationship,” Kara says, tentatively. She can barely hear herself talking over the sound of her heart beating.

Lena frowns. “But we are, aren’t we?”

Kara laughs nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “No, not like friends. More like—romantically speaking.”

“Yeah, that’s what I meant,” Lena says, closing the lid of her laptop, her full attention now on Kara.

“We are?” Kara asked, confused.

“Yes. I thought—Didn’t we become girlfriends that night? When you arranged my bookshelf and we opened the last of my moving boxes?” Lena’s brows are furrowed as she gestures to the bookshelf behind her.

“I thought you—I thought it was a joke… because—” Kara is stammering but Lena is visibly upset now.

“Wait. So, you mean to tell me that I’m the only one taking this relationship seriously?” Lena cuts her off, her voice trembling, breathing getting faster.

“Lena, I—”

“I’ve been trying so hard for you. I know I’m still not perfect and I’m almost always late, but I haven’t missed any of our dates. I’ve stopped going to the office on weekends because you always ask me to hang out with you. I’ve been doing my best to come home at a reasonable hour, so you don’t have to stay up late waiting for me because you said you’d wait before having dinner. I’ve been trying, Kara… and I thought…well, I thought we are taking things slow that’s why we haven’t moved past hand holding and cuddling on the couch. And I was perfectly fine with that because I want this to work… I really like you and I wanted this to work. But I guess... I’ve been alone in this relationship all along.”

Lena’s voice is frantic and trembling when she started speaking but eventually it devolves into the same tone she used when she talked about her break-up with her previous boyfriend: flat and matter-of-factly.

Meanwhile, Kara is at a loss and scrambling for words.

“Lena, I’m sorry—”

“I need you to get out, Kara.”

“Lena, please. Let me explain,” Kara begs.

“Kara, please just—”

Kara stands up, straightens her shoulders, and plants her feet, looking Lena squarely in the eyes. “No, I’m not leaving. Not until we settle this like adults. Because I don’t want that angsty, emotional, break-up. I want a plain, boring, old, love story—the one we talked about. And I’ve been in love with you for so long—Lena, I’ve been in love with you since the moment I saw you.”

Lena narrows her eyes. “But that was almost a year ago—”

“Exactly. All those weeks when all I had were three-minute conversations with you in the hallway—I couldn’t stand it anymore so I finally got the courage to do the one thing my friends never thought I would actually do—ask a girl I like to dinner. But I didn’t just like you, I was crazy about you. I _am_ crazy about you, Lena.”

“So why did you think I was joking when I said you’re my girlfriend?” Lena’s voice is small and it takes all of Kara’s self-control not to rush to Lena and gather her in her arms.

Kara sighs. “Because I can’t believe you would ever like me back.”

“Do you still believe that?”

“No.”

Lena is quiet for what is realistically just a few seconds but seems like an eternity to Kara, who is starting to freak out, but Lena suddenly laughs.

“We did this all wrong, didn’t we?”

Kara lets out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “No, I think we did it perfectly for us.”

“By us, you mean two idiots?”

“Yes. Two idiots in love with each other.”

Lena stands and takes Kara’s hands. “We can still have that boring love story we want though, right?”

Kara smiles, nods, and wraps Lena’s arms around her own waist. “Definitely.”

“Good to know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Legends say that if you let me know what you think in the comments, it makes me happy. Let's see if that's true. ^__^
> 
> Also, follow me on Twitter @TheLazyBam so you can keep track of how many hours I sleep a day.


End file.
